Murder Music
by Foresaken-Shadow
Summary: An intruder manages to break through the foundations of East High. If hostages are to be taken, what will the students and faculty do in order to restore safety? [minor Troyella and Chaylor]
1. Onset of another Week

**Murder Music**

**A/N: **Inspired by true stories that we hear on the news every so often.

…

An intruder manages to break through the foundations of East High. If hostages are to be taken, what will the students and faculty do in order to restore safety? Would they risk their own lives for the safety of others?

…

Minor Troyella and Chaylor. I do not claim anything from HSM. This is also my second HSM fic, first one that I'm planning on being longer than one little drabble. Bear with me please! (:

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**One: Onset of another Week**

Another Monday, another beginning of a presumably dull school week, on academic standards anyway. A different light filtered in the window at the far side of the decorative classroom. Different meaning it was more sluggish, drearier, than usual for a Monday. It was already approaching noon and it seemed as if the sky was stuck at 10 AM.

This being said, certain people also believed they too were stuck on the slow moving schedule. Two of the most popular athletic students sat in the same row, one being the first chair and the other right behind. Troy had a notebook propped open in front of him and a pen was twirling through his fingers mindlessly as he struggled to concentrate on the lecture the drama teacher was preaching on for what seemed like at least four hours. The brunette looked down at his paper, and found nothing but one line of partially literate words scrawled down above a series of miniscule basketball doodles. He gave a quiet sigh and raised his glance once again to attempt to decipher what the teacher was droning on about.

The lights had been shut off, leaving the room particularly dark on this sluggish morning. However, a large glow came from the overhead, which supplied an outline to Ms. Darbus's speech. This was obviously not enough to prevent Chad from falling asleep. It was quite glaringly obvious that he was indeed asleep, he hadn't even tried to hide it; his forehead was smack on the desk and pen slipping from his grasp. Troy glanced backwards at his friend who was partially leaning off the desk now. The basketball captain snaked his pen behind his back and poked at his friend's head in attempts to stir him.

After several minutes, Troy gave another sigh of dissatisfaction and leaned his head on the same arm.

Another minute later and Chad was beginning to snore.

Troy almost whirled around to prod his pen at his friend again. "Wake up," he hissed. As if on command, Chad shifted groggily, running a hand over his face and rubbing at his eyes.

"I wasn't asleep," he mumbled, fingertips still over his eyes. The pen had now fallen off the desk.

"Sure you weren't. We didn't win the finals either," Troy mused with a smirk.

Chad had to blink for a second to think about that one before hissing in response, "Shut up, man." Troy laughed to himself. "Where's my pen?"

"Mr. Danforth," a sudden sharp voice rang out. Chad rolled his eyes and Troy had to put a hand in front of his mouth to prevent from totally bursting out into a fit of laughter. Ms. Darbus found it less than amusing. "Mr. Bolton, Danforth. Are the two of you just shooting for more detention?" she inquired calmly again in her pinched voice.

"No ma'am," Troy replied, still smiling behind his hand and averting her gaze. She gave him a stern glare and then turned to the notes again.

"Way to go, man," Chad chuckled, punching Troy lightly in the shoulder. "Now seriously. The pen?"

The bell rang shrilly, echoing eerily in the empty hall outside. Free period was upon the students. The lights snapped on, and Troy pointed at the floor beside Chad's feet and basketball which he was inseparable from. There was the pen, lying innocently out of reach. "Now seriously, man. You've gotta answer me this--do you shower with that thing?" This referring to the ball.

"Oh man," Chad laughed. "You know it." He then proceeded to nearly tip the desk getting the pen back the hard way-without getting up. After straining to reach the rebellious utensil, the two high-fived and put away for the remainder of the period. The two headed near Gabriella's desk; by persuasion from Troy, Chad had learned to tolerate the two within a dozen feet of each other. That, and Chad just had a thing for attempting (and generally failing) to impress Taylor for reasons unknown.

"What were you guys doing? I wasn't even paying attention and Ms. Darbus was all of a sudden off on you two.." Gabriella questioned with a curious smile.

"Surely not anything against the rules, knowing these two good students," Taylor smirked from the seat beside Gabriella. Chad pointed a warning finger at her, but she just smirked further. "Pointing won't get you very far unless you're a toddler in a candy shop," she informed him.

"You--quiet," he grumbled, finding a seat on top of the empty desk on the opposite side of Gabriella. Troy laughed from the top of the desk in front of her. Chad shifted the basketball on his lap and then asked more casually, "So…are you two doing the musical?"

Troy's cerulean eyes flickered to his friend for a moment, and then back down at his hands that hung on his knees. "Well, yeah. We got the parts, didn't we?" he smiled, stealing a flicker of a glance at Gabriella, whose hands were entwined beneath her desk while smiling downward. She looked to be the visual definition of cute.

"Chad's memory bank must not exceed more than two days," Taylor informed them. "Or he's deaf."

This caused him to give her a flat glare.

"Enough about us," Troy switched, "what about you guys? The after party?" Chad pretended he'd discovered new territory on the basketball. Taylor just blinked.

"What about it?" she repeated.

"You two went together, didn't you?" Gabriella chimed in, looking to Taylor with a strange sense of eagerness behind her eyes.

"Well yeah.." the both mumbled, not meaning to speak in unison.

It was then the fire alarm blared. Everyone jumped out of their skin and then out of their chairs. But the alarm cut off just as quickly as it had started, and perplexed faced jumped from one person to the next. The same thing happened twice more, and the entire free period class looked to the drama teacher, who began fulfilling that title.

"Everyone..not to panic…" she whispered, clearly flustered yet holding a deadly serious undertone. She made for the door, closing it instantly and locking it--a first for this teacher--while snapping the lights off again.

"Ms. Darbus?" Taylor questioned hesitantly; none of the students knew what this meant. Fortunately the teachers were aware of the warning.

"We have an intruder in the building," she replied gravely.

Gabriella's hands had come out of hiding when she stood, and now she gripped Troy's, giving it a silent squeeze of worry. He gripped hers a bit tighter in reassurance.

"Everyone get away from the door, and hide yourselves as best as possible…" Ms. Darbus whispered, knowing that there was no good place for a horde of thirty students to hide in. "..and let's hope we're lucky."

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**A/N: **Short, I know, I'm sorry! I normally don't write so little for a chapter. This is the best place to break it in order to make at least three chapters though… Reviews?


	2. Rendezvous

-1**Murder Music**

**A/N: **Inspired by true stories that we hear on the news every so often.

…

An intruder manages to break through the foundations of East High. If hostages are to be taken, what will the students and faculty do in order to restore safety? Would they risk their own lives for the safety of others?

…

Minor Troyella and Chaylor. I do not claim anything from HSM. This is also my second HSM fic, first one that I'm planning on being longer than one little drabble. Bear with me please! (:

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**Two: Rendezvous **

They'd been sitting in the corner of the room for close to three hours. A heavier flow of sun filtered in from the what now seemed limited window, but the room still remained in a large part, in the dark. Of course the students were worried to a degree, but this didn't keep them from socializing.

The four friends sat in a misshapen square on the floor around the end of one row of desks. Luckily Chad had cards on him, or else they would have been bored and in the dark. This being said, they'd been playing cards for three hours. In the dark. Specifically, playing poker, and betting gum.

"I'm really starting to hate this," Chad muttered, pulling out another stick of gum and throwing it to the center. "I've practically wasted a dollar on Taylor here."

"Oh and god forbid it's only gum. If you had cash you would have already blown 50 times that amount," she replied in a very non-sympathetic tone.

"As if," he shot back.

"Really, now?" she replied, her voice sharper as if she was about to tear him to the ground with whatever evidence she had. He inched a tad closer to Troy, just to mock her. "Look at what I've got here," Taylor stated, spreading out the minimal pile of chewing gum she'd acquired. However, a 'minimal pile' could equate to quite a bit for gum.

Chad eyed it and then shrugged, "So what?"

"You've got the Winterfresh, genius," she replied flatly. She clearly had two times the amount of the blue gum as she did anything else. "And if you want to try to tell me you didn't just put one of those down--"

"Again, quiet," he stated, not wanting to argue but clearly frustrated he couldn't fight back.

Another round flew by, and then the bets circled around again. When it came time for Chad, he threw the entire case in. The other three eyed it and then stared at Chad, almost in awe at what hand he must have had. He didn't look particularly swayed in any emotion, other than extreme boredom, so this left them puzzled.

Taylor then piped up, "You have to bet something other than _trash,_ Chad."

"No..see the bet is whoever gets it has to make the trip to the trash," he replied with a smile.

And guess who won?

Chad fell back against the leg of one desk and scraped up another hand of cards. "You aren't funny," he sneered to Taylor. She just seemed to be having a fit over the fact he won the previous round.

"Hey-hey," Troy stepped in, "Cool it."

Suddenly a loud crash banged off to the extreme left. Chad and Troy blinked, whereas Taylor and Gabriella jumped out of their skin for the second time that day, nearly screaming with the fright. From the light in the hallway, it was impossible to see who had come in. Or rather, who exactly had barreled down the door. A deep voice bellowed over the casual chatter of students, "Alright kiddoes," the figure stepped inside, and was holding a long shaft off to the side, "line up!"

The group of four instantly fell back against the bookshelves that lined the back of the classroom. Troy swallowed as Gabriella's hand wound tight in his; she was sitting right beside him, barely breathing. Chad had slunk back to the opposite side of Troy, and Taylor on the other side of Chad. She was shivering visibly from fright, and though Chad didn't want to, he felt oddly obliged to hold out his hand.

Taylor stared at it for a second, and then eyed him a little harder than intended. "Hardly the time for high fives," she remarked quietly.

"Shut up, little missy," the man growled while stepping further into the room.

Taylor said nothing more as another shudder traced her spine. Instinctively her fingers entwined with his, and his grip said he wasn't about to let go. Her stomach lurched forward at this reassurance; she was grateful for it, but it was so strange coming from Chad. Again she shivered, though this time to a lesser degree. He pulled her arm tighter between them, though the distance had virtually closed; he would, at this point, do just about anything to try to calm her down because he wanted to push his own fear away with this newfound confidence.

"Aaall right," the man drawled. He sounded almost too southern for New Mexico. While he shifted the weight from one foot to the other, his shifting form exposed the shaft to be anything but. It was a rifle strapped to his back, presumably loaded and ready. Gabriella jumped, tears in the corners of her eyes. Troy offered simple, silent words to try to help her. But truth be told, a good portion of the girls in the class were shedding silent tears. Even Sharpay looked as if she was about to completely lose it any second. Chad and Troy looked to each other through the corners of their eyes, and while sitting beside each other did a quieted handshake-high five on the ground between them, though their eyes were terribly grave.

Finally Ms. Darbus rose from behind her desk, and asked as if nothing was wrong, "Sir, can I help you?" Half the class's jaws dropped.

The man turned halfway, an overconfident, sleazy grin slapped on his face. He was unkempt, but still looked handsome to a degree. "Well, since you asked, _ma'am,_" he began, turning to her and slowly plodding to her desk. Once he reached the wooden table, he cracked his knuckled on the tabletop and then growled, "Line your little girlies up for me, would ya?"

"I'm sorry sir, would you please report to the front of the school? I'm afraid I cannot help you," she replied, still acting as if this was some normal encounter.

"Sorry? Nah," he mused, pulling the rifle from his shoulder and chambering a bullet with a loud procession of clicks. He glanced up at her again, green eyes hard with a tinge of black on the edges. "You sure as hell ain't sorry." Instantaneously he whirled around, firing a shot not too far from Ryan and Sharpay. She barely suppressed a scream, which came out as more of a yelp. The man chuckled at the blonde's reaction. Again he looked over his shoulder in a far-too-casual manner, drawling, "You okay with them dying?"

Sharpay stared painfully at the drama teacher as she stood stunned. Ryan was beside her, barely breathing with tight eyes. Taylor was near hyperventilation and was leaning on Chad's shoulder while their fingers were still locked. In fact, he could see the fear in her eyes, and it honestly worried him because of her unwavering serious attitude. Troy had swallowed, finding a knot had risen in his throat, while Gabriella had a couple tears stream down her front as she scooted as close as humanly possible to her duet partner.

"Line up, girls. Single line spread out from the door to the window. Now," the man demanded loudly; one could swear his voice was rattling the window.

Taylor barely moved. Gabriella shifted away from Troy, but didn't get up.

Troy whispered quickly, "Don't..please don't do this."

"Don't be a reckless hero, please…" Gabriella whimpered.

"It's not reckless if it's saving your life," he objected.

"No," Chad breathed, pulling Taylor even closer. At that point, her stomach flipped, and the line between sensibility and technicality blurred. Tears leaked out of her eyes and onto his shoulder as rippling tremors ran the distance of her skin.

"You can't do this," she whispered, as much as it pained her to say it.

"I can do whatever I want," he hissed back.

"Don't," she breathed, "I'll be fine."

His fingers could have broken hers by how tightly he hung on. "Don't get up," he demanded beneath his breath. No one else had moved.

"He'd kill you without thinking twice," she whispered. He said nothing.

Both Gabriella and Taylor had managed to slip through the teenagers. Both boys blinked and practically stared at their hands. They couldn't of let the girls go, could they? Troy looked hurt; Chad was finally getting hit by shock that he had missed the first time by pulling Taylor to his side. Confidence was gone.

Sharpay got up as well. Several others did too, up until the last girl had risen. They formed a line with a foot and a half distance between each. The man stood behind them, between them and Ms. Darbus's desk. One couldn't tell if she was more horrified or helpless looking.

The man sneered, "Alright, boys…we're going to play a little game here…" while chambering yet another bullet casually..


	3. Darkness Can't Be Eluded

**Murder Music**

**A/N: **Inspired by true stories that we hear on the news every so often.

…

An intruder manages to break through the foundations of East High. If hostages are to be taken, what will the students and faculty do in order to restore safety? Would they risk their own lives for the safety of others?

…

Minor Troyella and Chaylor. I do not claim anything from HSM. This is also my second HSM fic, first one that I'm planning on being longer than one little drabble. Bear with me please! (:

….

Hearts in the Clouds: My god--I'm so sorry to hear that xx It's happened to me before and I hate the feeling! My apologizes ): I'm glad you like it though; hope it meets whatever standards you'd had set.

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**Three: Darkess Can't Be Eluded**

Chad could hardly breathe. Troy _wasn't_ breathing.

"Alright, my men," the grim gunman muttered, slinging the gun casually beside him. "Rules."

The dozen or so boys in the class simply blinked; limbs numb and feeling rather cut down by the man's cockiness.

"Each one of you is gonna pick a girlie. You take her back to a desk and sit by her."

Everyone got up at once.

"One at a time!" he snarled for clarification. Everyone shrank back again. Silence rang out uncomfortably before the man lifted the barrel of the gun and pointed to the teenager closest to the door. "Pick," he ordered gruffly. The boy didn't waste time as he jumped up and grabbed one of the fifteen girls by the hand and took up two desks at the end of the first two rows.

Again the man lifted the gun, picking another random boy. The same thing followed through, and another girl was pulled from the line. The 'game' continued until three boys were left, consequently leaving seven girls. "This wasn't going to end good," was the single thought running through everyone's heads.

"Up," the gunman barked at Zeke, casually tossing the gun up to point at him. The basketball player rose stiffly and pointed at the girl beside Taylor. They both took their seats.

Back at the end of the classroom, against the bookcases, Troy and Chad sat in dead, still, silence. Neither even had to look to each other to know what was up between them. They knew the ultimate end of this, and they would be to blame. Up at the front, Taylor and Gabriella took hands, their fingers trembling. Among the ones sitting in desks, Sharpay and Ryan stared ahead, both with tight throats. The four seats left were front and center of the multiple rows.

"'fro-man. Up here," the man chuckled, holding the rifle in a stance that it looked like he would shoot. Chad didn't hesitate, but he moved slowly.

A sudden thought flicked across his mind as he got up though. "911," he whispered beneath his breath to Troy. The captain looked up at his friend, but he'd already made his way through the rows. Troy hadn't thought of this option, but wouldn't be surprised at this point if the administrators had already called. Never the less he slowly retrieved his phone, being extremely delicate to not disturb the silence..

Chad had taken Taylor's free hand, seeing her linked with Gabriella. When the three began to draw away from the diminishing line of girls, Chad stood frozen when a rifle barrel was put to his throat. He suddenly staggered over breath, feeling his windpipe had shut off from the simple touch of metal to his skin.

"One," the man snarled, finger hovering on the trigger.

Chad looked to Gabriella, guilt apparent only in his eyes. She gave a short nod and reluctantly returned to her place in line with tears rising to her eyes again. Taylor began softly crying as Chad turned to take the more direct center seat as she sat to his side, their hands still together over the aisle between the rows.

"..East High…a guy with a gun broke in…" Troy barely breathed into his cell phone.

A gunshot reverberated in the silent air just left of Troy; this being more proof for the emergency call, but it also started Troy beyond belief.

"Put the damn phone down, now," the man barked, aiming the next shot for Troy, intending not to spare him this time. Troy's hands shook as he laid the phone on the ground, still on the line with the operator.

"I hope it's alright that this girlie's death is going to be on _your_ conscience," he snarled again, twisting the gun to point on Gabriella. She gasped as if it already hurt, but didn't move otherwise. Taylor's eyes flashed up along with Chad's instantly.

"I didn't get a turn," Troy said, his voice surprisingly strong.

"You're pretty enough to pass for a lady. You don't get a turn," the attacker laughed acidicly. Troy's heart skipped a beat as he looked desperately to Gabriella. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath, so that there was no noise. "These last few winners are getting the grand prize…" he smirked.

Chad leapt up suddenly and a gunshot was fired. Taylor and Sharpay screamed. Gabriella shied back, nearly tripping over herself. Troy had practically jumped over a desk, leaving his phone behind, to get to the front. A silent plan had formulated between the group without any words prior.

Standing just as tall, if not, only mere inches shorter than the attacker, Chad had actually managed to force the gun too high for a good shot at anyone. This of course was a surprise not only to himself and the students, but the gunman as well. The students hadn't expected him to jump up. He hadn't expected to be strong enough to attempt the stunt. The gunman snarled almost ferally as he fought the teenager for the grip of the gun, firing another shot that just barely missed a section of the desks near the window.

"God damn kid--" the man grumbled, eyes lit with fire. Now, the problem for Chad was getting away. The unnamed attacker elbowed the teenager roughly in the chest, knocking the wind from him as he recoiled, which could be heard if listened to closely, then wheeling about and hitting him broadside with the gun's blunt end.

Taylor jumped up and snatched Gabriella's hand as this had taken place. Troy jumped over another desk to join Chad; the latter of the two sporting a bloody nose and wheezing partially. The rest of the class was stunned. Then Troy had suddenly cried out at the succession of another bullet; though it had landed firmly in the wall behind the friends. Had it not been for Chad jerking Troy back, the shot would have done much more than just grazing high on his arm. Teenagers fighting back wasn't exactly the definition of brilliancy.

Taylor and Gabriella had bolted for the door, clawing at the knob frantically to pull it open. As soon as the heavy door had swept open and Chad and Troy had stolen a glance back at their escape there was a loud, almost crashing sort of echo in the hallway as all light shut off entirely, section by section.

With a succession of clicks, two shells plinked to the linoleum floor. It was going to be the last soft sound for quite a while to reach East High's ears.

Screams reverberated wildly in the room. Another pair of bullets exploded from the gun in the growing darkness of the now overcast light of the room. The screams however, weren't only elusive to Ms. Darbus's room. No, their echoes carried from nearly every direction outside the confusion of this classroom.

Again Chad and Troy had turned forward to play dodge-bullet now. This was merely a distraction, for both Gabriella and Taylor screamed as stealthy, dark hands unexpectedly plucked them right out of the class from the looming darkness of the hall. The hands had closed around their mouths, and unfortunately numbed their screams to a degree--

"Troy--" Chad barely uttered. When they'd both looked back the girls were gone entirely.


	4. Heralded Danger & Ultimate Sacrifice

**Murder Music**

**A/N: **Inspired by true stories that we hear on the news every so often.

…

An intruder manages to break through the foundations of East High. If hostages are to be taken, what will the students and faculty do in order to restore safety? Would they risk their own lives for the safety of others?

…

Minor Troyella and Chaylor. I do not claim anything from HSM. This is also my second HSM fic, first one that I'm planning on being longer than one little drabble. Bear with me please! (:

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**Four: Heralded Danger (Ultimate Sacrifice)**

It was only due to the fact that Troy and Chad had practically darted out of the class that Sharpay yelped, "Everybody out!" It was sheer luck no one was hurt in the process.

In the blind light of the hall, Troy set up against one wall while Chad was against the other. Through the utter darkness they had to rely on their hands against the wall, much like the blind to make any headwind.

"I don't like this, man," Chad muttered after some time. They'd gone the opposite way of the rest of the class, who had stampeded for the front entrance. The air was cold and stiffening, burning their lungs.

And then came Gabriella's scream again, now further in the distance; sounding like she'd said no. The boys ran. Classes that they passed, or at least a certain percent also looked like they were under lock down via a masked gunman. Chad swore to himself. "God…they have us," Troy breathed, though not slowing his pace. Knowing this, that their efforts were very much in vain, the two athletic stars continued to sprint around the bend, however not knowing what trouble they'd come to. Was it not the superhuman effects of adrenaline that blurred their common sense?

Outside, however, a mass of people, parents, police, students and the like, crowded about the outside of the school building. There were a few less than a dozen of the gunmen dressed in black, carting rifles proudly. In the very center of this line of murders stood the man that had shaken Ms. Darbus's class, holding Sharpay's neck, using her as a human shield to the police, who'd held stance with their guns drawn. The blonde could hardly subside her sobs as tears streaked her perfect complexion. She quickly realized perfectionism didn't mean near as much as being alive. It was a standoff.

The man holding Sharpay hostage growled, just loud enough for the front most of the school's crowd to hear, "You better hope the guys don't show up with the girlies…if they do you're toast."

Back in the dark confines of the school, a shrill ring had pierced the silence of the dark air. It took a moment for the wailing to register as the fire alarm in their minds. Again Chad swore beneath his breath; the two turned the corner sharply, only to find an orange blaze building. Their mouths hung open slightly. "Tell me they're not here…" Chad stammered.

"Help us!" the scream came from behind the nearest door--a utility closet about ten feet out of reach, and the entrance space rapidly being swallowed by fire.

"We're here--!" Troy shouted back.

"Troy!?" It was Gabriella.

"Gimme your jacket," Troy muttered to Chad, holding out his hand.

"Wh-What? This is my favorite one, man," he'd stammered hesitantly, caught of guard.

"It's the only thing we've got to put this out…at least temporarily," Troy explained. "Not like you need it with your twenty million shirts on, and not to mention the lovely fire."

Chad rolled his eyes and reluctantly relinquished the top most layer of his outfit. "Things I do for you," he hissed, the only joke they'd managed over this whole ordeal.

Troy had made quick work of the jacket, taking random hits at the fire until a short path had cleared. Both teenagers jumped through the minimizing area and then scampered to regain their balance in front of the door. The area they'd been left to stand in was that of a probable 5' x 5' patch of tile. Troy clawed at the door while Gabriella and Taylor had been jiggling it from behind.

"It's locked!" Gabriella cried.

"Man…you-you just might want to hurry this up…" Chad said leerily, his eyes keeping watch of the flickering flames that loomed closer.

"Chad--I need your help here…" Troy muttered, backing away from the door for only a moment and looking to his friend. Again it felt like one of those partnering hero-type of situations.

The door was solid, but with enough force, everything gave way. Both boys pulled on the outside, while the girls pressed themselves up as much as they could against the barrier. A sliding click signified their success, and the door slung open and out of their grasps in the next instant.

Gabriella's tearstains were apparent, she had minor lines of mascara trailing under her eyes, and her normally welcome brown eyes were tinged red. Her wrists were similarly pink; she and Taylor had been tied together, but managed to escape the restraints by pulling against one and other until their hands pulled free of the tatty rope binding. The girl flung her arms around Troy's neck after they'd all regained their balance; she sniffled into his shoulder, feeling she couldn't cry much more. Taylor had done similarly; she threw her arms around Chad's middle and uttered a, "Thank you," while he looked a tad stunned. The guys had just saved their lives, or so they believed, and neither girl could believe it.

Then they woke up from the temporary relief. Fire roared around them, and again Chad bit his tongue. There was not getting a break here. Troy had managed to cut a path through the embers, and both boys insisted on sending the girls first. Quite unusual for them, but what of this situation _wasn't?_

"Troy--!" Gabriella cried once they'd cleared the threat of the ever-hungry fire path. Of course the fire wasn't going to _stop_, but it had come to slower speed a bit further down the hall.

"You go," Troy muttered, taking another blind swipe at the fire with Chad's destroyed jacket in attempts to dry-douse the blaze.

"No way, man," Chad objected.

"Chad, don't be stupid."

"Same to you."

Both sighed angrily and then counted from three. At three Chad gave Troy a bit of a shove from the delayed reaction, and then they proceeded to do an almost pole-vaulting jump over the slowly regenerating flames. After barely stumbling to catch their feet, Chad breathed, "Idiot," though laughed to himself. Troy gave a heavy sigh and laughed as he held onto his friend's shoulder for balance. They'd just completed the phrase, "To hell and back."

"Jacket?" Troy offered the now tattered and scorched material to Chad, and he couldn't help himself from laughing.

"Man--it's your early birthday present," he replied.

The fire alarm was still screaming.

"Where--is the class still back there?" Taylor questioned worriedly.

"They bailed out after us," Troy explained, "looked like they were heading for the front."

"Was anyone hurt?" Gabriella asked timidly.

"Not that we could tell," Chad stated.

"I hope they're alright," Gabriella whispered.

The four proceeded to make for the front entrance of the school, while Chad questioned, "Did you actually get through to 911?"

Gabriella and Taylor looked unexpectedly at Troy. "Yeah," he sighed, "didn't get to say much, but they heard everything--the shots and the screams after I dialed. I didn't hang up when I got up."

"Lunkhead basketball man is smarter than even I believed," Taylor mused, impressed that the two had thought to do such a thing. Gabriella giggled, causing Taylor to smile. Chad laughed. Troy gave an innocent shrug that said, "That's me."

Moments later the group had made it to the outside, but unfortunately came out of the wrong entrance. They stood between the row of killers and the school, furthest from the crowd of police where they would have been safe. Troy and Chad's faces fell the moment they'd cleared the doors. The mass of people gasped quietly, but enough to make the nine gunmen turn to see the guests of the hour show up, finally.

The man in the center, the one that had just threatened the four, now held a short barreled gun to Sharpay's jaw. She gave a squeak of fright from the chilling metal against her skin, and looked to Troy in desperation. Four of the other eight turned their guns on the group that had just strolled outside, causing Troy and Chad to step in range, between the rifles and the girls. Again it was the adrenaline to blame for the sacrificial antics. The remaining four men clutched their rifles tight, ready to retaliate should something go wrong.

"It's them or blondie," the gruff man with Sharpay snarled.

Gabriella's breath failed her for a moment. This was certainly _not_ a choice she had wanted to create. Not with being the new student that Sharpay obviously held a grudge for. Taylor looked to Gabriella with a frightened image of innocence; she knew what the other was thinking. Both stole a glance from behind the boys at Sharpay. She looked terrified, but no where near angry.

"Tick tock, tick tock," the man chuckled, acid in his malevolent taunts. The basically audience of the terror didn't want to watch, but couldn't move from their spots.

Now it was time for the boys to exchange looks. In all reality, the options were not good. Either Sharpay was to perish here, or the four of them in attempts to save each other. Troy's chest was tight when he and Chad exchanged wary looks. Neither of them had a plan. Chad barely stepped back and took Taylor's hand behind his back. She knew they didn't have a plan at that point. They swallowed nervously, and Troy's eyes scanned the crowd for any fleeting means of hope.

While the man holding Sharpay hostage still was looking back, smirking vilely to the other teens, a succession of shots were fired. Gabriella and Sharpay cried out again, Taylor clung to Chad as he inched backwards, and Troy flinched before Gabriella had gripped his shit.

Troy and Chad looked horrified at what had taken place before them. They were fine, doing well, even. The nine men had been downed by the police squadron, leaving spatters of blood on the front steps of East High. Sharpay had stumbled and let her knees buckle to save her from possible gunfire. After silence reverberated from the school's front doors, Ryan was the first to cross the invisible barrier and help his sister up. The student body erupted in relieved cheers.

Chad still looked stunned, and Troy almost as much as he. Gabriella's eyes were still pressed shut, she feared the images that would become nightmares for her should she take a look at the bloodshed. Troy sensed this and turned around, enveloping her in an embrace while telling her it'd be alright. She merely shook and nodded her head as he ran hands through the length of her hair. Taylor gave a heavy sigh of relief as she let her head fall against Chad's back. Her arms had trailed around his stomach as he looked over his shoulder to her.

They were fine. They had lived. Chad was minus a sweater, but they would live.

Chad turned under Taylor's hug, and she held her head against his chest, barely starting to shudder. "I was so scared…I thought it was over.." she breathed. The cold sweat was falling on the four of them as the reality came back; they could have at so many points, died a painful death that day.

The medics crossed the barrier as well, making to check on the now six students that were on the steps. Police came to investigate the bodies of the gunmen.

"You never act like that," Taylor stated. Nearly an hour had passed, and most everyone had composed themselves. They were still being held at the school, most waiting for their parents to pick them up after the school issued massive amounts of phone calls, and two news crews had hit the scene. The four were still inside the school, and most people were running around as if it still was one, even though it was a couple hours after school would normally have let out. Taylor and Chad stood by the front windows while Gabriella and Troy sat at a bench just opposite them.

"Being scared makes you do crazy things," Chad said with an almost laugh, raising his eyebrows but not meeting her eyes.

"I'm just glad you're alright," Troy admitted to Gabriella. The two were holding interlaced hands.

"Me too," she smiled. "And you--and Chad, you guys are brave to do that."

"I guess we were just determined," Troy chuckled. The whole ordeal now seemed distant.

Troy had a bandage high on his left shoulder from the bullet's near-hit. Chad had gotten stitches for a small gash above his eyebrow, but that was the extent of the 'major' injuries.

"I'm sorry about how I've treated you," Taylor whispered.

"It's no big deal," Chad lied. Most of the time she was the only one that could tick him off.

"I-I don't know how to say this," Taylor began lowly, looking to the tile, the wall, anywhere but at him, "I…am beyond grateful. I'm so…so…" she sighed angrily, "proud isn't the word, but you know what I mean--that you came after us."

"No one wants do die," he smiled. "And someone had to make sure you were safe." He looked out the window again, the principal was speaking with a news reporter. "You didn't think I had it in me, did you?" Chad then smirked.

"Honestly, no," Taylor laughed.

"Shows how much _you _know," he said, stealing a glance in her direction. And in the same fluid moment he'd taken her hand with his own.

Gabriella almost squeaked as she cooed, "Aww!"

Taylor looked back at her, and then at her hand sheepishly. After a few seconds of her looking to Gabriella in faux surprise, she called back, "Oh, shut up." Chad smiled to himself.

"Alright--any idea when we're going home?" Troy stated. And again the group smiled. It was definitely going to be a memory they'd hold onto throughout their lives; the terror, and the relief of it all.

x----------------------x

**A/N: **Yay first HSM series completed! I was a little strained for ideas for the end ): Sorry if it's less than expected. I also wanted to stay away from a whole lot of gore…so I did the best I could there. Hope you enjoyed! Reviews are always lovely :) And for the future, I've got another HSM fic coming shortly!


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